Life of a young Aaron Hotchner
by Goldeneyedangel
Summary: Aaron has a younger brother Michael, and they are abused by their father, but what will make Aaron break. Sorry bad summary Rated M only for child abuse


The life of young Aaron Hotchner

"**Some abused children grow to become abusers and some grow to catch them," **Aaron Hotchner

A scream tore through the silence of the house followed by the thud of a door opening with force. 12 yr old Aaron whimpered alongside his brother as he moved in front of him in the corner as steps of thunder moved towards their bedroom door. He and his younger brother, Michael, had shared a room for their entire life in their small house in the middle of the slums of Seattle. Cowering together, the door to their room slammed open and a tall, dark haired man, with a long shaggy beard moved into the room.

"You didn't finish your chores Michael," the man growled as he moved towards the boys crouching in the corner.

"I'm sorry Father, I'll do then tomorrow I promise," Michael stammered as Aaron tried to shield him with his body.

"Out of my way boy," the man growled as he grabbed Aaron's arm and flung him across the room with ease.

Aaron groaned as his head hit the corner of the bed in the centre of the room. His brothers screams suddenly filled the room, followed by more thuds of flesh hitting flesh. Aaron swayed to his feet as he stood, when his vision stopped moving he ran across to his father and brother yelling, "LEAVE HIM ALONE." He landed a few punched before his father turned on him.

"You little brat," the man growled as he turned and grabbed Aaron by the upper arm, his other hand coming through and slapped him hard across his face, breaking his nose. Refusing to scream Aaron gritted his teeth, his cheek caught between his teeth making it bleed. Soon fist after fist landed on his body as the boy tried to block out the pain and concentrate on his younger brother watching them with wide eyes. Finally his father dropped him and with one last kick and sneer he left the room. Aaron moaned as he pulled himself to his feet and moved over to Michael.

"Are you alright?" he asked the trembling eight year old.

Michael nodded his wide brown eyes looking up at him, he reminded Aaron so much like his mother, where he resembled his father, black hair, dark eyes and a slim, tallish build. Where Michael was short, skinny, and had light brown eyes and wavy sandy hair. "Aaron your bleeding," Michael's voice broke through Aaron's musings.

Aaron whipped his hand across his face, wincing at the pain that lashed through his nose, grunting he pushed it back into place and smiled down at his younger brother he strove so much to protect from their father. "Nothing to worry about, let's get to bed, we have school tomorrow."

A smile flowed across Michael's face, "We're doing marble painting," the small boy piped up.

Aaron chuckled, and grabbed his younger brother's hand and towed him to the bed and they both climbed in and fell asleep in each other's arms.

Aaron looked down at Michael's peaceful sleeping face, 'I am going to get you out of here one day,' he vowed to himself silently. 'We will have our own house, and no one telling us what to do and then beating us when it was done wrong. We will also have as much food as we can eat and I will put you to bed every night-"

"Brother, why do you have that funny look on your face?" Michael asked as he woke up.

"It's nothing Michael, did you sleep okay?" Aaron asked changing the topic.

A smile beamed over the small face, "I was on a pirate ship and I was the captain and we fought against other pirates as we won…." Michael continued to tell Aaron about his dream as he got them up and dressed them in their school clothes. Walking them out into the kitchen they found their mother already their setting out the nearly empty cereal box and two bowls, spoons and a nearly empty carton of milk.

Their mother smiled as she looked up see them entre, when the smile faded seeing Aaron's bloody and bruised face alongside Michael's. "I am so sorry babies," she whispered as she wet a cloth and began to wipe the blood from his face gently. "I will ring the school saying you can't come in go and get changed then have breakfast." Their mother said moving to the phone on the wall. "Hello, Joanne, this is Mrs Hotchner, I am calling to let you know the boys aren't going to be in today as they have both come down with a bad cold and aren't feeling that good- okay- thanks- goodbye," the woman hung up the phone as the boys left the room to go and get changed. Soon they re-entered and sat down at the table. Aaron grabbed the cereal and poured the last of it into their bowls, making sure Michael had the most in his bowl, then picked up the milk. Feeling that it was virtually empty he poured the last of the milk onto Michael's cereal.

"But brother there is none for you now," Michael protested.

"It's alright I like my cereal dry any way," Aaron lied and started to eat the dry muesli.

"Okay," Michael said happily and began to munch away.

Quickly they finished their breakfast when their mother came into the room once more, "As you boys aren't going to school today you can start on your chores and finish the ones you didn't yesterday."

"Yes, mother they said in unison and rose from the table to move to the sink to wash up the dishes.

Next they swept and mopped the house. Grabbing the iron Aaron started to remove the wrinkles from the clothes. Folding up his mother's shirt he then shook out his father's good shirt and placed it on the ironing board before moving to place the shirt in his mother's room along with the rest of her pile. Walking back into the small laundry he heard a sob. Moving quickly he ran into the room, to find Michael sitting in the ground holding his hand. "Michael," Aaron said as he knelt next to boy, "You know not to touch the iron I do that."

"Daddy's shirt," Michael sobbed as he looked up from his hand his eyes filled with tears.

Frowning Aaron climbed to his feet and gasped, "No," he whispered when he saw the large hole burnt in the shirt.

"I'm sorry Aaron I wanted to help and I burnt my hand and I dropped the iron and it burnt daddy's shirt, he is going to hurt me," Michael sobbed.

"No he won't," Aaron said, "He won't find out that it was ever you."

"Aaron don't take the blame, you always do and you get hurt, it is always my fault, am a klutz, daddy is right I should never had been born."

"No, Michael, you may be a klutz, but you are my brother I love you," Aaron said softly, hugging his brother.

The rest of the day passed slowly, with the boys finishing their chores, with Michael fearfully watching the cracked clock on the mantel piece then looking at the door, biting his lips terrified.

The clock hit two thirty and the door to the house slammed open, dark eyes looked around the room, and spotted the two small boys cowering in the corner. Sneering at them he moved into his room to change clothes, he was going out with mates to the pub. His eyes fell on the his best shirt and the large black lined hole in the centre of it. "MICHAEL," he roared and stormed from the room.

Aaron put himself between his brother and father, "It was me, not Michael," he stated.

"LIAR, you are always protecting the little runt, it is time that he got what he deserves." The man backhanded Aaron hard against his face sending him toppling his head hitting the floor hard. Black spots flitted across his eyes, as he fell into oblivion as his brothers screams echoed around him.

It was dark when Aaron gained coconscious, moaning he clutched his head as he sat, his head spinning, clutching it he looked around the dark room, just making out the outline of a body he moved over towards it. "Michael," he whispered, "Michael?"

But no movement came from the body.

Reaching it he rolled the form onto their back. Aaron gasped when he saw the mutated face, covered in blood. The two eyes where black, the nose crushed and teeth cracked and broken. "Michael?" Aaron whimpered as he touched his brother's face. Gasping he pulled back at the cold skin. "Michael," he said his voice slightly hysterical. He fumbled around the collar of the shirt and laid his fingers against the cold skin. He sucked a deep breath in and breathed no more, as he waited, but no pulse thundered under his finger tips. "No," he gasped and began to give his younger brother CPR, but no movement came from his sibling. Sobbing he collapsed onto the chest of his brother, "No, no, no," he whispered over and over again. Slowly he stumbled to his feet and moved into the small bathroom and grabbed a towel and wet in before moving back to his brothers side. Kneeling, he began to gently wipe the blood away from his brother's face, until not a single drop was left.

"I'm so sorry, I should have protected you," he whispered, "Mum should have-" he paused, "Mum?"He ran from his position to his parent's bedroom. Gulping he pushed open the door, "Mum?" he asked into the darkness. Flicking on the light, the first thing he noticed was the doors of the cupboards were opened and empty, all his parent's clothes were gone. "They left us," he whispered before more tears rolled from his eyes. He didn't care that his father had left but his mother. Shaking he moved back to the living room, seeing his brother's body he moved lethargically to the phone and dialled 000 (I live in Australia, this is the emergency number).

"Hello, this is 000, how may I help you?" a woman said on the other side of the line.

Aaron stared into the wall in front of him.

"Hello, anyone there?" the woman asked.

"They killed him, they killed my younger brother, and left us," Aaron eventually said before once more the dam behind his eyes broke and he sobbed hard, sinking to his knees.

"Who killed your brother?" the woman asked gently as she typed into the computer the address of the caller,

"My father," Aaron answered,

"I am sending a car to your address now, honey, just stay there. What is your name?"

"I should have protected him, I shouldn't have let him hurt him, it is all my fault, I should have never left the iron with him." Aaron rambled into the phone.

"It isn't your fault, dear," the woman said into the phone trying to calm the child down, "Why don't you tell what happened?"

"It's my fault," Aaron screamed into the phone before dropping it letting the handle to spin in the air on the end of the line.

Crawling back to his brother he laid on his chest and began to sob, saying repeatedly, "Sorry."

Sirens filled the air as two men ran from the car inside of house, where the front door stood wide open. They slowed as they came across Aaron sobbing on the chest of Michael.

"Come on son," one said as he gently lifted Aaron to his feet and walked him outside to sit in the car. Kneeling in front of him he asked gently, "Can you tell me what happened?"

Dull black eyes met his, but the boy bowed his head once more looking down at him hands.

The officer patted the boy on the top of his head, 'he's in shook,' he thought and called for backup and a ambulance, with a body bag.

Several hours and thousands of questions later, Aaron watched to ambulance officers, carry a black body bag out of the house. "My father," he said.

"What?" the officer asked surprised, it was the first time he heard the boy speak.

"My father did this, all because Michael burnt a hole in his shirt by accident." Aaron looked from the body bag, his eyes hard to the officer, if I tell you everything you will you find him, my father?"

"We will," the officer promised.

"Good, because the bastard has to pay," with that he turned from the officer and walked over to the body bag and laid a hand on it. "He will pay, brother, for you I will bring him down." He looked up at the first rays of the sun appeared over the top of the horizon.

The end

This was just a random idea that popped into my head a few nights ago and I just couldn't resist writing it.

I hope you enjoyed it


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